Ringing migratory birds at Spurn Point - in pictures

Ringing migratory birds at Spurn Point - in pictures

Every autumn, the
British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) and its volunteers catch and ring migrating birds at the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust's
Spurn Point nature reserve. Migratory species including brambling and goldcrest are captured in nets and weighed, sexed and recorded, allowing the BTO to monitor long-term population and migration patterns

Tuesday 16 October 2012 11.20 EDT

BTO volunteers take a break at Spurn Point coastal reserve. The reserve has been managed by the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust since the 1950s after it was purchased from the Ministry of Defence. The 3.5-mile long, narrow and curving peninsula provides perfect opportunities for watching birds, marine and coastal wildlife

The reserve, only 50 metres wide in some places, lies on the northern bank of the Humber Estuary and is significantly affected by coastal erosion. Due to Spurn's location, it is one of the UK's key areas for ornithological observation, as it is the first landfall for many migratory species on their way over the North Sea to Scandinavia and beyond

Paul Collins of the BTO walks through a Heligoland trap. These large traps - a series of chambers that funnel the birds into a small enclosure - are named after the German archipelago in the North Sea where they were invented

Volunteers Pete Smith (left) and Dave Smith capture a chaffinch and a greenfinch. The rapid intensification of agricultural systems and habitat loss in Europe has driven declines of some species and global climate change is implicated in the declines of others

A volunteer holds a brambling before it is fitted with a ring. As migratory bird populations may be affected by threats on their breeding grounds, wintering grounds and stopover sites, they are particularly vulnerable to the effects of environmental change